Community Archaeology and Faversham, Kent
Faversham is a small market town with a
population of 18,000 in North Kent. It lies between the head of
a tidal creek and Watling Street, and has been there in one
form or another for at least 2000 years. The town site and
surrounding countryside are exceedingly rich in archaeology
and much of it is untouched by redevelopment. Faversham has
nearly 500 listed buildings, many of which are medieval with
later facades, yet it is still a working, living town and
the market mentioned in the Domesday Book still runs 3 days
a week. For more details about Faversham, visit the
Faversham website
www.faversham.org.
Faversham has other advantages for the
community archaeology. The town has a long tradition of
volunteering and civic devotion. The most relevant outcome
of this for community archaeology is the Faversham Society,
an exceptionally active, energetic and inclusive voluntary
organisation. The Society provides archive storage space,
documentary archives and library, a meeting hall, museum and
exhibition gallery, a monthly newsletter and a publication
avenue. Most important of all, the Society provides a superb
network for the many local people researching various
aspects of the town's history. Without these great
advantages, the Faversham Society Archaeological Research
Group (FSARG) would have had to address these practical
issues from scratch. |
